Gran Torino

Today in class we watched the movie "Gran Torino". It is directed and produced by Clint Eastwood. Eastwood has the lead role as well.
The movie is about a widowed Korean War veteran, Walt Kowalski, who is alienated from his family and who is angry at the world. When a Hmong teenage boy named Thao, gets caught stealing Walt's Gran Torino (he was pressured by his cousin may I add), Walt slowly develops a bond with Thao and the rest of his family.
Ethnic relations, conflict resolution and individual violence are a few issues that are covered in this movie.

So, how do Hollywood films portray people of different races and ethnicities? Do they portrait movies stereotypically or are people portrayed differently then we expect them to be? In my opinion the characters in this movie are portrayed as stereotypical people. "Gran Torino" contains a series of racial issues where the main character, Walt Kowalski is portrayed as an stereotypical old man, same as the Hmong people. The Hmong people in this movie all live under the same roof or are close neighbors, constantly having dinner parties and other gatherings. In general, The Hmong people are very traditional people, and this is portrayed well in the movie.
My conclusion is that all Hollywood movies, not only this one, are portrayed very stereotypically. I think they do this so we all can relate to the characters. In "Gran Torino" there is a neighborhood gang who carries weapons around at all times, act tough, pressure people into doing things they don't want to do, etc. This description descripes the typical gang, and it's what we all expect for a gang to be.

I really reccommend this movie! It shows us to fight for justice, to be loyal, and to have respect for everyone. A fantastic movie.

To Kill a Mockingbird

You all probably remember last fall when we had an assignment to read the book "The Kite Runner". Well, this spring we have been given the task to read a book of our own choice. Our teacher gave us some options as well, and I chose one of her suggestions, "To Kill a Mockingbird" by Harper Lee. I've always wanted to read this book, but there have always been other books in the way. It's good to finally sit down and enjoy one of America's beautiful classics I've heard so much about. 

To Kill a Mockingbird is in many ways based on Lee's own family, friends and childhood experiences. The book deals with racism issues in the southern states in1 936. The story is told through the eyes of a young girl and we get to know her thougths about life, and the prejudices people had towards black people, girls and poor families. The book is written in a southern accent which makes the story more "reliable" and you really get the feeling that you're in the southerns as you read. This is one of many strengths the book has.

So far I have only read sixty pages, this because we've had a lot to do at school. I am looking forward to reading further though. I like the story, the plot and the southern accent so far, so I can't do anything other than reccommend it to all of you - and I havn't even gotten half way through!

Picture taken from HERE

Megacities and population

Tokyo, Japan

Today in class we read about megacities, and analyzed population statistics. Later on we were asked to write an article explaining what the statistics showed us. 

Megacities:

In 2006 there were ten megacities in the world, where Tokyo took the lead with 33.4 million, New York as second with 24.1 million, and Mexico City as third with 21.7 million. In ten years time there will probably be 26 megacities worldwide, and 22 of them will be in developing countries. According to the UN, city population growth will take place in the megacities of developing countries.

Urban and rural population statistics:
Since 1800 the percentage of world population living in urban areas have increased. Back then the percentage was only 2 %, in 1950 the percentage was 30 %, while in 2000 the percentage had increased to 47. UB-habitat and BBC have estimated that in 2015 the percentage of world population living in urban areas will be 52 %, and in 2030 it will have increased to 60 %. UB-habitat and BBC have also given us some statistics for urban- and rural population in regions of the world (millions) in 1995, as well as they have estimated how many millions there will be in urban and rural areas within the year 2015.

Urban population

Rural population refers to people living in rural (churlish) areas, while urban population refers to people living in cities, towns, and metropolitan- and suburban areas as well. According to statistics, the rural population in North America was 67 million in 1995, while the urban population the same year was 231 million. UB-habitat and BBC have estimated that in 2015 the urban population in North America will have increased by 70 million, ergo 301 million will be living in an urban area. They have also estimated that the rural population will have decreased with 8 million within 2015. In South America the urban population was 353 million in 1995, while the rural population was 129 million. Here it is estimated to be 510 million living in an urban area in 2015, while 123 million will live in a rural area. In Europe there were 518 million living in an urban area in 1995, while 209 million lived in a rural area. It has been estimated that within 2015 the urban population will have increased to 532 million, while the rural population will have decreased to 188 million. However, in Africa and Asia, both urban- and rural population will have increased within 2015. 

The statistics shows us that the world population keeps increasing, and this might be a global challenge now, but it's little compared to what's coming, considering the population statistics keeps growing. Will we ever have room for all these people? 

Pictures: HERE and HERE

Source: Worldwide International English book; Eva Haugum, Julia Kagge, Audun Rugset, Britt W. Svenhard, Eva Ulven